It’s in Phase 2 of the Phoenix Rising Method, we empower clients with yoga therapy by guiding them from their ‘comfort zone’ to their ‘learning zone’.

After we have warmed up with Breath and Movement, we take clients to the Edge. Beginning with a physical edge, brings the client’s focus and awareness to the body. We encourage easing into a place beyond comfort – into a somewhat uncomfortable sensation – not pain – but discomfort. Here breathing into the sensation created by the physical edge, we encourage clients to go inward – into the sensation. This distracts the mind from default cognitive processing, and opens the path for new thoughts, feelings, emotions to emerge. Which creates an opening for practitioners to work with clients from a deeper place within. Because when clients step outside of their comfort zone and venture into the realm of discomfort, remarkable learning and growth can occur in both body and mind.

How does this work?

Within the comfort zone, clients typically find familiarity, routine, and a sense of security. Physical sensations associated here are generally pleasant. However, staying in a state of comfort does not create opportunity for personal exploration. Our neurobiology is accustomed to these familiar ways of being, beliefs and feelings, and little new information is be generated. As a result, clients tend to remain in a state of autopilot, where growth and transformation are limited.

On the other hand, if we intentionally expose clients to discomfort and the unknown by leading them into an Edge, whether physical or mental, we create a ‘learning zone.’ This could manifest as physical sensations such as tension, resistance, or even a sense of unease. When clients enter these these ‘edgy’ sensations, their body and mind become awakened from their accustomed state, triggering a heightened state of awareness and receptivity.

In this state of engagement and discomfort, neuroplasticity is stimulated. The brain forms new neural connections and pathways, enhancing capacity for learning, adaptability, and resilience. Clients become more receptive to new information, experiences, and insights, expanding their understanding of themselves and the world around them.

In the learning zone, you will have an opportunity to explore uncharted territories with your clients – and discover untapped potential. By embracing discomfort and willingly stepping into the unknown with your clients, you unlock the transformative power of growth and self-discovery.

Once we, as practitioners, recognizes the importance of embracing the learning zone and stepping beyond the boundaries of the comfort zone, we can harness the profound potential for clients to cultivate a deeper connection with their body, mind, and spirit. This is why we call this work a bridge – from body to soul.

In our course, Bridge from Body to Soul, you will learn how to effortlessly introduce the Edge in ways that are appropriate and fitting to your work with clients. Whether in talk therapy, private yoga or physical therapy sessions, sharing groups, or classes. The profoundness of it emerges from the simplicity of it.